CapeTalk Highlights

Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights in South Africa, Yasmin Sooka, says it is very clear that police in charge of investigations into the death of Ahmed Timol lied to the inquest courts and that the judge at the time fudged the final findings.

A former security policeman who claims to have witnessed the anti-apartheid activist commit suicide by jumping from the 10th floor of the John Vorster Square Police Station in 1971, has been accused of tailoring his evidence under cross-examination.

On Tuesday, Roderigues described to the High Court in Pretoria how he immediately raised the alarm when Timol jumped out of the window.

Its quite sad that the two policeman who are alive and appeared before the inquest court in the last two days have not taken the opportunity to speak the truth and what is very clear is that both of them are going to risk possibly facing charges of murder.

— Yasmin Sooka, Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights in South Africa

Sooka says Roderigues daughter who had assisted in finding his whereabouts, warned the foundation that her father may avoid telling the truth.

We expected him to tell the truth, but she had also said to us that he was a pathological liar and I think you have seen signs of that as he gives testimony. She said he tended to embellish and to lie about much of the candid work he had done.

— Yasmin Sooka, Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights in South Africa

Sooka says a permanent solution is needed to provide closure to families who lost relatives in similar instances.